ScopeCare® is a specialised endoscopic service that investigates upper GI, small bowel, and lower GI diseases. ScopeCare® consists of a team of medically trained specialists who perform small bowel capsule endoscopy, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy. These are all out-of-hospital services offered at ScopeCare branches including: Netcare Umhlanga Medical Centre, Durban North and other new branches are currently in progress.

ScopeCare® assists patients with newly acquired gastrointestinal symptoms
and carries out surveillance endoscopy for existing patients.

ScopeCare® investigates the following gastrointestinal symptoms and conditions:

Gastrointestinal symptoms such as:

  • Nausea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Dysphagia (trouble swallowing)
  • Reflux
  • Heartburn
  • Odynophagia (sharp, sudden pain when gulping or swallowing)
  • Hematemesis (vomiting blood)
  • Melena (darkened/tar-like stool)
  • Weight loss
  • Diarrhoea
  • Regurgitation
  • Anaemia

Upper Gastrointestinal conditions:

  • Achalasia (difficulty swallowing food)
  • Anastomotic leak (leakage from the reattached body Connection)
  • Colonic angioectasia
  • Atrophic gastritis
  • Oesophageal varices
  • Oesophageal strictures
  • GERD
  • Barrett’s oesophagus
  • Reflux oesophagitis
  • Caustic ingestion
  • Diverticula
  • Polyps
  • Duodenal stricture
  • Fistula
  • Duodenal ulcer
  • Foreign body
  • Gastric varices
  • Gastric ulcers
  • Lymphoma
  • Precancerous lesions
  • Pernicious anaemia
  • Metastasis of unknown origin
  • Pyloric stenosis (swollen pylorus)
  • Tumour or abnormal mass

Small Bowel Diseases such as:

  • Coeliac disease
  • Colonic angioectasia
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Lymphoma
  • Polyps
  • Masses
  • Strictures
  • Hereditary polyposis syndrome
  • NSAID-induced enteropathy

Lower GI Diseases such as:

  • Colonic obstruction
  • Anastomotic leak
  • Angioectasia
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Diverticula
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Fistula
  • Endocrine mass
  • Ischemic colitis (poor blood flow to the large intestine)
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Other colitis
  • Pseudomembranous colitis (inflammation of the inside of the large intestine)
  • Metastasis of unknown origin
  • Pouchitis
  • Superficial neoplastic lesions
  • Polyps